Crime

The woman who called to get the hose turned on sticks in my mind. It was a few years ago, during a heat wave. She lived in public housing, and the outside faucets didn’t work. Maintenance had shut them down for some reason. The kids were hot; it was too far from one of the few remaining open public pools. She’d been calling Baltimore Housing, she said.

I called housing and left a message.

The woman called back less than an hour later to say the water was on. “Thank you!” she said. I could hear the emotion in her voice.

There was no story to write. I have no idea if my call helped prod things along. Baltimore Housing never returned my call. The woman was so grateful...

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The woman who called to get the hose turned on sticks in my mind. It was a few years ago, during a heat wave. She lived in public housing, and the outside faucets didn’t work. Maintenance had shut them down for some reason. The kids were hot; it was too...

The carnage continues.
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